Why Resilience Matters And How You Can Learn It

By Appen. September 12, 2019

Resilience — the ability to recover quickly from difficulties — is considered to be one of the most important traits of successful, happy people. And for most jobs, especially remote jobs, it’s necessary. Mistakes happen and challenges arise, and if you’re able to adapt to them and overcome them, you’ll be both successful and satisfied with your work. Needless to say, resilience can help you work better. According to Psychology Today, resilient employees do these seven things differently:

They develop high quality connections. High-quality relationships are critical to resilience, whether you work from home or you have an office job.
They manage their stress and avoid burnout. This is absolutely critical for people who have flexible jobs and create their own schedules.
They are authentic. Resilient employees work in alignment with their values and strengths, which leads to better performance and an overall sense of satisfaction.
They pursue their passions. Going after something you want isn’t easy, but if you’re resilient, you’ll be able to beat the obstacles.
They stay inspired. Working for a purpose matters quite a bit. Many employees say that knowing they’re helping people have a better user experience online helps them stay inspired.
They have mental toughness and flexibility. When you experience something stressful, the way you handle it makes a difference in the outcome. If you let the worst case scenario way of thinking consume you, you won’t be able to take purposeful action. But if you stay in control of your thoughts and emotions until a solution is reached, you’ll have a better outcome.
They manage changes and setbacks. Your work day will not always look the same when you’re working flexible jobs, so your ability to handle change will be a huge benefit.

As you can see, resilience is important in the workplace and it is certainly something that can be developed.

Is resilience something you need to work on? First, identity the three elements essential to resilience, according to Susan Kobasa, a research leading psychologist:

Challenge. Resilient people view difficulties as challenges, not paralyzing events. They see their mistakes as lessons, learn from them, and move forward.
Commitment. This isn’t just related to work — resilient people commit to their goals, their friendships, their romantic relationships, and their beliefs.
Personal control. Resilient people focus on situations and events they have control over and don’t waste time worrying about things that are out of their control.

That sounds nice, doesn’t it? Of course, we can’t just train our brains to stop worrying about things or become more committed overnight. That being said, if resilience is something you’d like to improve, it’s just like anything else — you have to practice.

Here are some tips for training your brain to look at life differently and become more resilient:

Stop trying to resolve problems in the way you always have. Be honest about why you failed, think about why it didn’t work, and act accordingly. Otherwise, you’ll keep repeating your mistakes.
Master your emotions so they don’t master you. Everything you’re facing is temporary. Maintain a positive outlook, reach out for help when you need it, and move on.
Develop a strong social network. It’s very important to have people you can confide in. This is especially important when you’re working a remote job. Talk to your fellow Appen employees, and when you’re not working, spend time with loved ones who support you.
Embrace change. Flexibility is one of the most essential traits of a resilient person. By learning how to be more adaptable, you’ll be able to handle anything life (or work) throws at you.
Work on being more prepared. Resilient people want to solve problems instead of letting them consume them. One way to do this is by planning for the future in advance. This could mean anticipating work issues and asking about them in advance, setting yourself up for success by organizing your workspace, or getting ahead on your tasks when you know you’ll have a busy week.
Nurture yourself. When you take good care of yourself, it’s much easier to deal with stress or changes in life. Make sure you’re getting plenty of sleep, drinking water, exercising, and doing things that lower your stress levels. It will make a huge difference in how you process things.
Reward yourself for small victories. We tend to be our own worst critic, and that means overlooking things in our lives that deserve praise. Everyone fails sometimes, so rewarding yourself when things do go right will give you strength.
Develop your problem-solving skills. When you’re able to come up with solutions to problems, you’ll be better at coping with them. This is especially important when you work from home. When you encounter a challenge, make a list of some potential ways you could solve the problem before you take any action. Make a small plan for each one, and decide which method is most logical. Eventually, this will come naturally to you.
When you do fall, always get back up. This may be the most challenging way to develop resilience, but it’s vital. Resilient people understand that failure is not falling down, but refusing to get up.

— Interested in exploring flexible, work-from-home jobs? Appen is hiring!